Closure
by CretianStar
Summary: When there's another problem, Nanny and Simon chat one last time. Adult!Simon, set some time after the first film.


A/N: This is my first foray into this fandom, but it's such a brilliant film. Set post film, quite a while afterwards actually.

Enjoy!

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"I did everything you taught me." Simon was stood talking to thin air with a wistful smile. "I think Father was proud of me." He had climbed the stairs, back up to the attic of his childhood home, and was talking to the dust.

It had become a much happier place, Evangeline had made the draughty building warm, and laughter soon rang through the home. They had still been poor at first – they relied on Aunt Adelaide who was happier to support them, knowing she had taught Evangeline herself. Aunt Adelaide was even mildly content with Evangeline having another two children to add to the sizeable brood.

They relied less and less on their Aunt after Simon had got himself to London and started earning. Tora did the sensible thing (as always) and fell in love with a kind hearted, respectable gentleman in the closest town. She gave Cedric his first grandchild and even Aunt Adelaide gruffly admired the beautiful babe. Eric had excelled at school and had leapt into a law firm as a junior before working his way up doggedly. Lily, much to the scandal of their Aunt, became a writer; her dramatic imagination flared on paper and she was soon a children's author. Chrissie looked into nursing as she grew up and discovered a fear of needles; instead she helped her father with the administration side of the undertakers business. Seb signed up and had just received his captaincy and darling Aggie found a joy in shepherding the growing number of nieces and nephews that she became a school teacher. Simon too had got married, to a mischievous imp of woman and although they hadn't produced quite so many children as his parents, Simon was still the proud father of four.

Simon recounted all of this to the thin air, as he paced around the small room.

"I don't think I really thanked you. Not properly. You sorted out the horrible mess we'd become. I thought the world had ended when mum died. I wanted to resent Aggie when she was born but instead I chose father. He put up with a lot, I'll give him credit for it. But thank you Nanny McPhee, you made all the necessary changes when we all tried so hard to stop you." Simon pulled a dust sheet off the rickety old chair that lurked in a corner and smiled slightly, before turning back to the window.

"I've come up here to say goodbye. Now Papa…" He paused and swallowed hard. "Now papa has gone, Evangeline says this house is her home but it's just too big. It's falling apart and neither Grace nor Thomas can keep up the maintenance, they're only teenagers themselves." He broke off again and wiped the tears, staring at the floor.

"Simon." The voice made him whirl and there, Nanny McPhee sat in the chair, as if she'd never left.

"But, how?!" He stammered, staring at the woman who was beautiful.

"That particular how question does not matter right now, what matters is the how of this home." Nanny smiled at him. "Evangeline wants to keep this home?"

"Of course, it's the childhood home, Grace and Thomas have nowhere really to go. They can come and live with either me or Tora but I don't think they'll be happy there." Simon ran a hand through his hair. "Help me please Nanny McPhee."

"Simon, if I recall you fixed this problem last time." She said with a smile. "How bad is the house Simon?"

"Not awful, it's a case of maintenance rather than any serious problems. I've had a look, all the tiling is fine, the plumbing is okay and I've had my brother-in-law round and he says the foundations are fine and the walls are solid." Simon gabbled. "But Gracie and Tom can't keep cleaning!" He tugged at his hair again. "It's just too big for them to keep on top of alone."

"There is an answer here Simon, but I am not the woman to provide it." She said cryptically but before Simon could ask, he heard footsteps on the stairs and his gaze flew to the newcomer.

"Simon!" Tora was chased up the stairs by his wife, Charlotte. "Oh I am not as young as I was." Tora gasped, holding her ribs. "Simon we've had the best idea." Tora panted. "Charlotte has always said that London isn't any good for the children, so she's happy to move back here and help. If you sell your house in London, you can purchase a small apartment so you don't need to travel back and forth every day if you wish but…"

"But I'm happy to help out here. The children love Aunt Aggie and were terribly excited when I suggested she could be their teacher, they loved the idea of being with all of their cousins!" Charlotte said excitedly. "Come on Simon, we can stay here. Seb will be coming back from duty soon, Chrissie is helping Mr Mortson get used to running the undertakers by himself and Lily says this place makes her creative juices flow, whatever that means. Say yes Simon, let's move to the country!"

"Yes." He said, awestruck at the two women. "McPhee was right again." He said softly, his words picked up only by Tora as Charlotte raced back down the stairs to ask Evangeline for her permission.

"I used to come up here a lot, just after I was married. I was so nervous and so unsure of the world now I was away from home. I love William, with all my heart... but at the start, I was young and I was so scared of leaving you all." Tora admitted. "Nanny helped me then." She said with a smile and the two siblings stared at the dust covered room with a strange wistfulness. "I say this will be the first room that gets smartened up. We'll make sure it stays Nanny McPhee's room as well." Tora decided, squeezing Simon's hand before swiftly disappearing to find her energetic sister-in-law.

"Thank you." Simon said quietly to the dust motes.

"I didn't do anything." The voice danced around him.

"You did everything." He grinned and also left, realising his wife would be packing suitcases without him if he didn't.


End file.
